Newcastle striker Nick Woltemade said he was “relieved” to score Germany’s opening goal in their 6-0 home win over Slovakia to reach the 2026 World Cup.
Prolific at youth level, Woltemade joined the Magpies for £69 million after making his senior international debut in June and netted four times in Die Mannschaft’s final three matches of their qualifying campaign.
“We played really well, leaving nothing to chance from the first second to the last,” said Woltemade, whose side started above Slovakia on goal difference in Leipzig.
“We were creative and proactive. It was certainly fun to watch. It’s been a very emotional year for me. It’s always great to play for Germany; I’ve gone through every youth team, now I’m at the top, and we’re going to the World Cup.”
Germany vs Slovakia: Woltemade ‘fun’
Germany lost 2-0 in Slovakia in their opening match in Group A but have won all five of their qualifiers since, although they almost fell behind in Luxembourg on Friday before Woltemade scored two second-half goals in their 2-0 win.
The 23-year-old converted from Joshua Kimmich’s cross in the 18th minute of the decider, with Serge Gnabry and two goals from Leroy Sane giving Germany a commanding half-time lead before Ridle Baku and debutant Assan Ouedraogo added to the scoreline after the break.
“At that moment, I’m simply relieved,” Woltemade said of his header. I saw Joshua’s [cross], I had no defender [marking me], the ball came in nicely and I put it away
“I think you could see our quality today, and it was a lot of fun.”
The result means Slovakia are in the play-offs, while Germany head directly to the finals, which start in June and will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
Newcastle are next in action at home to Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday (17:30 GMT).
Germany team vs Slovakia
Germany suffered a major blow on the eve of their game against Luxembourg when Kimmich suffered an ankle issue in training, but the captain was back after remaining an unused substitute in Gasperich.
Centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck also returned from injury as a starter this time.
Germany starting XI: Oliver Baumann, Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, Nico Schlotterbeck, David Raum, Leroy Sane, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Serge Gnabry, Leon Goretzka, Florian Wirtz, Nick Woltemade
Germany substitutes: Malick Thiaw, Waldemar Anton, Jamie Leweling, Assan Ouedraogo, Jonathan Burkardt, Alexander Nubel, Felix Nmecha, Karim Adeyemi, Kevin Schade, Nathaniel Brown, Finn Dahmen, Ridle Baku
September 4: Slovakia 2-0 Germany
September 7: Germany 3-1 Northern Ireland
October 10: Germany 4-0 Luxembourg
October 13: Northern Ireland 0-1 Germany
November 14: Luxembourg 0-2 Germany
November 17: Germany 6-0 Slovakia
When is the draw for the 2026 World Cup finals?
The draw for the World Cup finals will take place on December 5 2025 at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, with the ceremony starting at 17:00 GMT (12:00 ET/ 09:00 PT).
The tournament runs from June 11 until July 19 2026.
2026 World Cup playoffs dates
The top team from each of the 12 European Qualifier groups proceeds automatically to the finals, which will be expanded to 48 teams.
The 12 runners-up in each group will join four Nations League teams in the one-legged play-off ties, which will be drawn from pots based on teams’ records during the campaign.
The semi-finals will take place on March 26, followed by the finals on March 31 2026.
When is the draw for the 2026 World Cup playoffs?
The play-off draw will take place on Thursday, November 20 at 12:00 GMT (07:00 ET / 04:00 PT).
